Strength In Numbers

Women are powerful in their own right, but get a group of them together around a common goal and you might as well take cover, because it’s going down.

I recently attended an a cappella competition and was struck by the female power demonstrated onstage by my high school all-girls group. They sang with purpose: to empower women, to highlight our strength and to show that we have a message to be shared. They were inspiring! Their set started with some content from “Flawless” by Beyoncé, which defines feminism and speaks to me as a mother, a friend and a marketer: “Feminist: a person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes.”

Feminism is the pursuit of equality. It is a charge to stop applying different rules to different people: to not pay a woman $0.79 to a man’s $1; to fight for respect for all people. This is a social issue that has been fueled by the political process but is also a fight that has been raging for decades. What’s different now? We are forming mega-groups to fight this fight as ONE.

We have seen the power of women as they rallied around the first woman since 1972 to run as a major-party candidate for our nation’s highest office. Pantsuit Nation took hold as we stood together to share our voices and opinions with the world.

We saw thousands of women march on Washington to fight for equality and respect for women. This wasn’t just limited to the event in our nation’s capital; women around the world stood up, took to the streets and made their voices and presence heard.

Being a part of a strong group of women — whether a march or a book club or an a cappella group or even a marketing-to-women business — we all know that we are stronger together. As brands, we can pull from this power and highlight the voices of these influencers. Brands can be feminist too! And we should ALL support that.

We need to continue teaching our young women to be strong, to be feminist and to lean on their fellow women for strength, power and support.

frank studies

In this edition of our proprietary study, “Home of the SWANK,” we’re examining the differences between mom as homeowner and her single homeowner counterpart: the SWANK. We’ll share how mom rules her roost and how you can capitalize on her home philosophy and purchase expectations.

In this edition of our proprietary study, "Home of the SWANK," we share what we have learned about the SWANK’s opinions and purchase behaviors when it comes to one of the hottest home trends: SMART HOME TECHNOLOGY. We will reveal the SWANK’s opinions on incorporating SMART technology into her home and share four truths to help marketers connect with her on all things high-tech.

In the fourth installment of our proprietary study revealing how today’s SWANK approaches home ownership, we take a deeper look at another group worth mentioning, SINGLE MEN. Since 2001 single men have been responsible for one in every 10 home purchases and that number is expected to rise. We will reveal the unique feelings and motivations when it comes to homeownership and shopping for their homes, plus four key truths four truths every marketer should keep in mind when reaching out to this increasingly influential group of homeowners.

In the third installment of our proprietary study revealing how today's SWANK approaches home ownership, we take a deeper look at how the home plays a role in these women's overall health. We will share four key truths of how Swanks approach establishing and maintaining a Healthy Home, as well as what brands can do to better connect with them when they're in this mindset.

In the second edition of our proprietary study revealing how today's SWANK approaches home ownership, we take a deeper dive into how these women approach their outdoor living spaces. We will reveal four key truths to keep in mind when connecting with this powerful consumer segment so that your brand is at the forefront of their minds while creating their own Great Outdoors.

This proprietary study takes a look at how today's SWANK (Single Woman Affluent No Kids) takes a unique approach to home ownership. In a series of reports, we’ll share insights highlighting everything from how she tackles home improvement projects to how she participates in trends like the smarter home differently from other homeowner segments.

We conducted a deprivation study to find out how today’s technology is impacting women’s finely tuned “gut instincts.” Download the PDF for some fascinating insights about the roles of social media and technology in our shopping decisions today.